There's a professional in this house!

I know I mentioned Cody's professional achievement in a previous post but he just got his certificate in the mail!!! It arrived on Saturday morning when he was out of town and it took everything in me not to rip it open.  Since I am the good wife that I am, I waited until he got home to open it himself.

Cody's busy schedule presented some challenges in our marriage over the last year.  The first 9 months was the demanding project he was working on. This project required him to work on site.  The project job site was in Hillsboro which is quite a commute from Oregon City.  Therefore, not only was he working long days (really long days!) Monday - Saturday but he also had a nearly 3 hour round trip daily commute.  An absent husband left me responsible for taking care of everything around the house which included: cleaning, laundry, cooking dinner (which I ate alone and saved left overs for him), grocery shopping, taking care of Roxy and Maxi, and the list goes on. Basically all the responsibilities around the house laid on my shoulders while I kept a busy schedule at work as well. During this time, I often felt alone. Sometimes telling Cody I felt "distant" from him (That is the "D" word in our house). This distance I felt came from him being gone so much (off to work before I got up and home from work after I had already went to bed). The moments he was home, he was so mentally and physically exhausted that I didn't even feel like he was really "there". It was hard on both of us but we were supportive of each other during this time.

As this project started to wind down, we made sure to slip in a relaxing vacation for just the two of us! It was perfect and just what we needed.  When we got home from vacation, he was still making the commute but working more "normal" hours.

The holidays passed and he was back to his desk job in the main office. This is when the studying began.  He had 3 months to prepare for his professional exam.  Which meant once again an absent husband.  This time was a little different because he was home but just not "available". He was up at 5 am studying, took his books to work with, and was home by 5:30pm to hit the books again.  I cooked and cleaned while he studied and he only took a break to eat dinner. He studied until bedtime. Thats how life was for us for us until test day.

He took the test the weekend that I was in Houston.  I knew how much time and effort he put into preparing for the biggest test of his career so I wasn't even nervous for him.  I knew he would do great and he did.  He walked into the test room, kicked butt and took names.  I couldn't be more proud of him!!!!!!

Way to go Cody Olson P.E.!!!!!! You are truly an amazing man, someone Hanley can look up to.

So here it is folks, his official certificate...

Office Hike Photos...

Here are a few pics from our office hike a few weeks ago. I am so lucky to work with such a great team of ladies!

Beautiful falls!

Shaira, Tami and I (& Hanley!)

Dr. June was the team photographer!

Prenatal Workouts

I have always enjoyed running outdoors.  It's my workout of choice. There's something almost relaxing about being lost in my own thoughts while breathing the fresh air and getting in a great workout. There's a since of accomplishment achieved after a great run..something that can't be duplicated on a treadmill.

I gave up  running at 3 1/2 months pregnant.  Oregon City is full of hills and we live on top of one.  These hills are great for Hood to Coast training but not so good for a pregnant woman carrying extra weight and limited internal space. It became frustrating to me when the hills took my breath away and I didn't feel the sense of accomplishment after each run so early in my pregnancy. So, I boxed up my running shoes for the time being.

For awhile there, I wasn't sure what I was going to do for exercise during this time.  We no longer have a gym membership because the gym we belonged to in Oregon City went out of business last summer.

After a little research, I ordered a pregnancy yoga workout video and loved it! I didn't realize how inflexible I was until I started doing yoga (the last time I did yoga was back in college!).  My flexibility is improving, it has done wonders for my back and it's suppose to be really good for preparing for labor.  I have worked in a 30 minute yoga session into my morning scheduled 3 times each week.

Now that I am in a good morning routine with yoga, I recently decided I need to work in a weight routine into my schedule as well.  I have always had fairly strong legs and core with absolutely no upper body strength! So, I think it's time to start preparing these arms to lug around a baby and car seat :o)

This morning I kicked off my weights routine with a chest and bicep workout and actually really enjoyed it! So, I now hope to alternate yoga and lifting.

26 Week Check-Up

Today we had our 26 week appointment.  Everything seems to be going well...

-Baby Hanley has a strong heartbeat (I still love the sound of his rapidly beating heart!).

-My weight gain no longer really bothers me because I can see where all the weight is going! I am gaining almost exactly 4 lbs per month (which puts me right on track).

-Our midwife has assured me my belly measurements are within range. At my 22 week appt., I measured in at 23 weeks and today at 26.5 weeks, I measured in at 27 weeks.  Another indication he will be a big boy...hmmmm?

-I passed my glucose screening (test for gestational diabetes) with flying colors! Which it really wasn't all that bad.

-It appears our insurance change that became effective July 1st went through without any problems.  Switching me from my employers insurance to Cody's is going to save us a lot of money come delivery day.

-Cody has made it to every single Dr.'s appointment with me to date.  I love how involved he has been with the process. I might be carrying Hanley but we are in this together :o)

-We are signed up for birthing classes and the hospital tour.  I am really looking forward to the hospital tour.

So, that about sums up everything to date. We are all happy, healthy and very thankful!

Holly's in Town!

Today I met up with my favorite Alaskan for Happy Hour!! I LOVE getting together and catching up with Holly when she's in town to visit. She's so thoughtful and showed up with a gift for our little dude.

Guess what was inside?

A Carters newborn set with onesie and pants, a Mommy Loves Me bib, little jammies that say "Daddy's Big Guy" and the cuttest darn book EVER...Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site.

Fitting? I think so!

She did warn me of one flaw in the book though. The book calls the concrete mixer a CEMENT mixer which happens to be one of Cody's biggest pet peeves! (For those of you that don't know, Cody works for a concrete construction company).  So, Cody is just going to have to change the wording when he reads the book to Hanley...he's not going to know the difference anyways, right?! Haha.

Thanks for a great afternoon and a wonderful gift Holly!

A Dose of Reality

Shortly after we announced our pregnancy, a wonderful friend Nancy stopped by my work to deliver a gift.  She bought us three of the books that saved her during the most challenging moments of being a new parent.

 I recently dove into one of the books called Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. The introduction read:

"If you are still pregnant, it is important for both parents, not just the mother-to-be to read the Introduction and Chapters 1,2,4, and 5. Try to read all of this before you baby is born because no matter how tired you may feel now, you will be even more tired once you baby has arrived.  Trying to read anything then is difficult, to say the least..."

"If you have already delivered your baby, it is likely that you are exhausted, feeling a little lost, or both.  Shortly after birth you many have 'baby brain' and be unable to concentrate, focus, or develop a plan of action because you are so sleep-deprived.  And if you are breast-feeding, it is possible that you feel physically drained..."

Yikes! There's a reality check...I guess I better enjoy my sleep now!

THE List

Six months and counting with no drinking has left me making a mental list of all the adult beverages I can't wait to enjoy again. My list is getting a little long, so I thought I better jot it down.

I over did it on wine on New Years's this past year, so I can't say Riesling has made it on my list just yet but I am sure it will make a comeback :o)

THE List:

-A REAL margarita...Cody makes the best homemade ones!
-Bloody Mary
-Cold beer
-Vodka and diet orange soda
-Peartini
-Mango margarita
-Crandberry and vodka with "fizz"
-Vodka tonic with lime

Can you tell I like vodka yet...?

Until then, I will just enjoy my ice water for now!

Birthday Weekend at East Lake

Here's how I spent my 27th birthday...

Thats right, a relaxing weekend at the lake!! (A little different from last year, eh?!) We had perfect weather and enjoyed every moment of it!

We stayed in a cute little cabin at East Lake:

Cody has been trying to talk me into buying a boat since day 1.  Now that we have a baby boy on the way, he has been pushing it even more. He says he needs a boat so he can take Hanley out fishing.  Well after renting a pontoon boat on Saturday, I am trying to convince him into buying a pontoon boat! My argument for a pontoon boat: it's kid/dog friendly and he can fish from it while I can sunbathe! It's a win-win situation if you ask me :o)

We were up early and out on the water at 7 am. I was a little worried how Roxy would do on the boat. She loves the water so much I figured we would have a hard time keeping her IN the boat! She surprised us and did awesome! Cody says she even gained "Tyler" status (If you watch Swamp People you might know what I am talking about but basically it means she was a good fishin' dog!).

Cody's catch of the day was a 17 inch Rainbow Trout.

My Handsome Captain

Roxy trying to convince Cody to let her go swimming...

When hugs didn't work, she went in for kisses!

When we got back to shore we took her to go swimming and relaxed lakeside for the afternoon.

Later that evening, we drove up to Paulina Peak.

It was a great way to spend our weekend.  We came home with a few odd tan lines (okay, more like burn lines for me) and one tired dog!!

Teach Me How To Dougie...I mean BRUSHY!

Teach Me How To Brushy

I had to share this video that The ODA (Oregon Dental Association) just came out with. A new twist on the dougie? I think so!

Registry Complete! Crib Set Purchased!

This weekend we completed our registry.  It's not really Cody's favorite thing to do so I tried to come as prepared as possible to make the process a little smoother.  We I learned quickly that putting together a baby registry is much harder than a wedding registry!

I felt clueless at the beginning. How many bottles, crib sheets, strollers, etc does this little guy need? What's the difference between Chicco and Graco? What brand of breast pump and pads are best? Butt paste, diapers, wipes?? Yes, lots of questions!

After hours of online research and several emails, phone calls, texts and questions to my cousin Melissa, my "sister" Karissa, and to my friends Jessica, Ashley, Jamie, Karen, Marissa, etc. I was able to somehow figure this whole thing out.  Actually, what was probably most helpful were lists that Jamie and Karen sent me--full of brands and quantities of items they recommended/use, MUST HAVES, and even things NOT to register for.  These lists made it to the store with us and were sooo much help!

When we arrived at Target and Babies R US, I had our list in hand with highlighted notes and we were on our way to scanning! Cody was in charge on the scanner.  A few of his comments during this process included:

"I had to scan this one because it says 'lil champ'" as he picked out a SwaddleMe Sack.

"Sorry Hanley" as I directed him to scan the hooded whale towel (apparently it didn't seem manly enough for him but ended up on our registry regardless).

"What do you need a kick guard seat protector for...I got a belt for that."

"Who cares if the crib sheet matches! You know he is going to spit up and pee all over it anyways."

Overall, we had a good time working on our registry together and he only managed to embarrass me a few times :o)

I thought Cody was going to be shopped out after completing our registry but I somehow squeezed in a trip to The Pottery Barn for Kids this weekend too! Originally when I started looking at bedding sets months ago, Cody wasn't too thrilled about me browsing The Pottery Barn website (dollar signs were flashing through his head!). We both agreed the goal was to find some kind of patchwork design and color coordinate the room (okay, the color coordinating was all me) rather than "theme out" the nursery. It didn't take us too long to realize that non-themed bedding practically doesn't exist! So, when we came across the Madras bedding set at The Pottery Barn, Cody was actually agreed to it! In fact, he pushed it more than I did. So, we agreed to splurge on the bedding. After all this kid already has a hand-me-down crib, dresser, car seat and stroller we purchased from friends! A little splurge on the bedding seemed reasonable.

When we walked in the store the very pregnant lady right in front of us grabbed the LAST bumper to the set we wanted. I mean, literally the last. That bumper happened to be on back order until August 6th. After she walked around the store with it for awhile and we talked about what we were going to do about the situation, she set it back down after deciding against it.  Not wasting a second, we grabbed it and ran to the register! I couldn't be more happy with our purchase.

Thank you to everyone who helped us figure out what the heck we needed to prepare for the arrival of our little man! As the days progress, I am starting to feel a little more prepared.

Cabin, Lake, Cody, and Roxy-All My Favs

Here's how I spent my 26th birthday last July....

This year, I told Cody I wanted to do something a little different.  Don't get me wrong...I had a blast bar hopping with everyone last year. But I really just wanted to do something with just the 2 of us (and obviously, I can't drink).  It's not going to be just the 2 of us for much longer so I want to take advantage of these next couple months of spending quality time together doing the things we love.

So, Cody booked us a pet friendly cabin at East Lake. Since it's a perfect place for Cody to do some fly fishing, we figure we will probably rent a pontoon boat so I can relax and he can fish.  As for Roxy....well, we will see how this goes! My guess is that we won't be able to keep her in the boat!

After our crummy weekend this weekend which started out with a busted out car window Friday night, I hope next weekend brings us a little birthday luck.

Let the Canning Season Begin!

This is our 3rd doing a garden but it wasn't until late summer last year that I started to get into canning.  You see, canning has always been a big part of the Olson family, but I never grew up around canning.  So, it was completely new for me! After a little research, a few calls to my Mother-in-Law, tips from Grandma Tina, and one batch of zucchini pickles...I was hooked!

Cody does an amazing job keeping up on our garden.  If it were my responsibility to tend to the garden, all the vegetables would be dead by now. My tendency to forget to water would severely impact our garden yield. So, I can't thank my husband enough for all his hard work in the garden! I mean...canning vegetables from your own garden, how does it get any more rewarding than that!?

Last year we canned 2 different kinds of zucchini pickles, zucchini relish, dilly beans, and bloody marry mix. Tonight, we tried a new recipe. We picked several pickling cucumbers from the garden and kicked off the canning season with a batch of sweet pickle relish.

Here's to a great summer of canning!! I expect to hear the sound of lids popping quite often in this house!

A Cradle for Hanley



When my oldest brother Wayne was born in 1979, my Grandma and Grandpa Robideau bought my parents a Jenny Lind Cradle.  Two years later, my brother Mark slept in that same cradle. Two years after that, my brother Caleb slept in that same cradle, and yes...two more years after that, I slept in that same exact cradle as a newborn.

My Mom saved that Jenny Lind Cradle. She thought, just someday maybe one of us kids would be able to put it to use again.

After being stored away for decades, she pulled it out of storage for her first Grandchild.

We stopped by my parents house when we were in Eugene over the weekend and picked it up.  It's now set up in our bedroom waiting for Hanley's arrival.

The Ups and Down of Monday

Sunday morning I woke up with a slight sore throat. It goes worse as the day progressed and nighttime was horrible.  I was up all  night coughing which meant Cody didn't get any sleep either.
This morning I work up feeling even worse.  Not only was I exhausted from lack of sleep but my sore throat and cough had gotten worse.  I went into work but headed home a couple hours early since we had a light afternoon schedule.

I came home to lay down and get some rest.  The only problem is that didn't quite happen.  Once I plopped down on the couch and got comfy, Roxy started barking to come inside.  I got up to let her out, got comfy again and Maxi decided she wanted to snuggle.  She walked all over my body for several minutes trying to decided what the best nap position would be for her. When she couldn't find just the right spot, she decided under my covers would be better.  They best entry in her mind was to walk on my face and peek her head under the covers.  Once she got settled it, she laid with me for awhile before all my coughing was too disruptive. At that point she got up for a drink of water.  Instead of going downstairs to drink her own water, or walk 10 ft to Roxy's water dish (which she does often), she figured MY water would be best.  Since it was in a tall glass, she knocked it over on the coffee table.  So, I found myself up once again, cleaning up her mess. 


By the time Cody got home, I was in tears. 

He propped me up in bed with 4 pillows behind my head and got me a cup full of ice chips. Maxi came in and was actually a good snuggler this time!


As I laid in bed, I thought to myself...If being sick and dealing with a dog and a cat is overwhelming, I am really in for it when the baby comes and is going to need a lot more attention! It's moments like these that reality really sets in of how much life is really going to change for us.  Oh Lordy!

Feeling a little better, I got out of bed around 7:30pm and moved back to the couch.

Hanley has been moving a lot lately and told Cody I was pretty sure he would be able to feel him too.  As we laid on the couch together, Cody placed his hand on my belly and felt our little boy move for the first time!!! He kicked not just once but several times for Cody.  Some of his movements were suttle but when he really kicked, I could see the excitement on Cody's face. It was a pretty special moment.

As crappy of a day I had, feeling Hanley move together made things seem a little better.  I hope to be feeling better by Wednesday so Cody and I can enjoy our day off together.

Office Summer Party

Each year my work plans a girls day for our summer office party. This year we started out the day hiking Silver Falls.  The hike was beautiful and thankfully the rain held off until the very end.


We made it into Salem about an hour before our massage appointments so we killed some time at Wild Pear. Tami ordered a peartini...Oh my, I think I could have killed her! I told Cody he must take me back there when I am not pregnant so I can enjoy one myself.

Massages were just what we needed after our hike.  I absolutely loved mine because the massage therapist had a special pregnancy pillow that allowed me to lay on my stomach (in lieu of laying on my side) during the massage. Oh, how wonderful it was to simply be able to lay on my stomach in comfort!!

After our massages, we enjoyed dinner at Caruso's Italian Cafe. The food was good but the service was slow, really slow.

Since I was MIA for the day, Cody took Roxy fishing up the Mollala River. When they got home Roxy had a serious limp.  I guess she played a little too hard in the river.  We will celebrate her 5th birthday next week and it's sad to see her slowing down.  We hate to admit it but we have noticed lately that she not the young gal she once was.

I hope to get pictures of our hike posted soon so stay tuned!

New Kicks

My brother Wayne and his fiancee Brooke stayed with us Friday night.  I had to post a quick picture of some shoes they got for Hanley.

Are these not the cuttest darn things you have ever seen?!? We absolutely love them!